Don’t drop the soap
The Suffering introduces you to Abbott State Penitentiary, an island-based facility for some of the most hardened and degrading criminals ever known. You play as Torque, a badass tough guy, convicted of brutally murdering his ex-wife and two children with his bare hands. Torque unfortunately/conveniently (delete where applicable) cannot remember anything in relation to their murders, claiming he suffers from blackouts. The game begins with Torque entering his jail cell and sitting on death row, when all hell breaks loss. Monstrosities appear and start savagely executing every single living being in sight, killing both guards and inmates alike. In the commotion and chaos, Torque is freed from his cell and like any sane person would do in this situation, tries to get the hell out of there.
Hey sexy, how's it going?
The opening gameplay in The Suffering is truly something to marvel at. The game does such a great job of immersing you into the atmosphere at the start; it truly feels like a survival horror scenario. Whether its hearing screams coming from the next room, or seeing a creature quickly appear then disappear on a security monitor, the beginning of the game is truly frightening whilst playing in the dark. Thankfully, in a game where controlling your character in third-person perspective is vital, The Suffering plays effortlessly, as the controls are prominently the same as a standard first person shooter. Another thing to be thankful for is that camera angles never prove a problem (unlike a few survival horror games we could mention), meaning the player never becomes stuck in situations where aiming is made difficult, resulting in unfair deaths.
If it bleeds, we can kill it
Where The Suffering stands out from the standard survival horror scene is in the amount of action in the game. When the creatures of the dark come, they come in droves, and it’s up to you to lock and load and send them back to hell. In these moments you will forget you’re playing a survival horror, with the game feling more akin to a third-person action shooter, as you pepper your enemies with anything you can get your hands on. On the subject of weapons, the standard array is present and correct, including revolvers, tommy guns, shotguns and even flashbangs. In addition to weapons, you’ll be using your trusty flashlight, something you have to conserve, as there are plenty of dark places in the game.
Combat is pretty straightforward, prominently involving aiming, firing and strafing much like any other action third-person shooter. Each creature in the game has its own unique moves and style of combat which adds some nice variety. Torque does have one unique feature however, which is his ability to transform into a hideous, bloody beast. This killing machine can rip apart Torque’s enemies with ease but can only be activated if his frenzy meter is flashing, which is filled by slaughtering enemies.
Don't worry the injection won't hurt, until I shove it in your face.
The game includes light puzzle solving, but doesn’t go as far as the 'find-the-key-to-open-the-door' puzzles that are a staple ingredient of the genre. Interestingly, the player can choose to play good or bad in some situations. For example, you might find a security guard. Help him and you receive good brownie points, kill him and you will feed your criminal instincts. This inclusion into the game allows the player to help mould the psychological profile of Torque and whether or not he is a violent killer. As you proceed through the game, you will witness Torque’s turbulent past through the use of flashbacks, which not only help fill out the story but greatly adds to the whole atmosphere.
Nice and bloody
The visuals are solid and the game runs at a good frame rate. Character models and the environment are adequate but the unique monster design is a nice plus. Also worth noting is how the blood splatters over Torque while in combat. The more close and personal you get with the creatures, the more gore Torque gets covered in. Although it eventually goes away it’s yet another nice touch to the game. The game oozes with gore, more so than some other survival horrors, one reason why the game earns its mature rating.
Sound is important in survival horrors and The Suffering does not disappoint. The strange ambient sounds are great while the voice acting is top notch. The dialogue used in the game is extremely mature, so be prepared to hear the F word a few times, but like many other things which add atmosphere in the game, characters swearing only makes you feel so much more in the situation.
Ahh the red paint burns my eyes.
The one key criticism of the game is that at times it suffers from too much action. At around the halfway point, the game changes from being an immersive survival game, to a run-and-gun spree. The player is required to literally just mow down groups of enemies, and it becomes repetitive quickly. Whilst the intense action mixed with survival horror at the start is good, running around blasting everything has it's limits. The game does pick up towards the end, which luckily gives an incentive to finish it. It also must be said that the game is quite easy on normal - don’t expect to be overly challenged or to run out of ammo. If you’re particularly good at third person shooters, do yourself a favour and start the game on hard. It's also a very linear title, and whilst the maps you find display large areas, it's disappointing to find that most doors are barricaded or locked, forcing the player onto a single route.
Two genres are better than one
The Suffering overall is a survival horror, action hybrid game. Whilst it’s not your traditional survival horror the addition of high-suspense action is a welcome breath of fresh air. If you’re looking to be scared it will do the job. If you’re looking to blast some creatures then it will also fit the bill. And whilst not being overly complicated or a particularly long game, this is still fun to play, whether your a fan of survival horror or a third-person shooter fanatic.
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